Leaving National Highway 6 southwest of central Hanoi to enter the semi-mountainous terrain of Chương Mỹ ward (former Tiên Phương commune), visitors see a fifty-meter hill rising amid fertile rice fields, shaded year-round by ancient pines and eucalyptus trees. Ascending some two hundred blue-stone steps winding up the slope of Mount Tiên Lữ, a two-story, eight-roofed timber bell tower from the Tây Sơn era emerges quietly amid the rustle of pine needles, opening onto an interconnected complex of ancient halls crowning the hilltop.
This is Trăm Gian Pagoda (Chùa Trăm Gian, the Pagoda of a Hundred Bays), known in classical Chinese as Quảng Nghiêm Tự, an eight-hundred-year-old monastery celebrated among the Four Great Scenic Sanctuaries of the Đoài region alongside Thầy, Tây Phương, and Trầm pagodas. Beyond its distinctive architectural layout of one hundred and four bays, Quảng Nghiêm Tự is a sacred site bound to the ascetic life and apotheosis of Zen Master Nguyễn Bình An (Saint Bối / Đức Thánh Bối) in the Trần dynasty and the patronage of Admiral Đặng Tiến Đông under the Tây Sơn dynasty.
IQuảng Nghiêm Tự and the sacred biography of Saint Bối Nguyễn Bình An
The pagoda's formal Sino-Vietnamese name is Quảng Nghiêm Tự (廣嚴寺), belonging to the tradition of Northern (Mahayana) Buddhism combined with the veneration of a native Buddhist saint (Buddhism). The two characters Quảng Nghiêm allude to the Buddhist canonical city of Vaishali (rendered in Chinese scriptures as Quảng Nghiêm, where the Buddha expounded the Dharma), signifying the vast, solemn, and consummate realm of the Buddha's teachings. Because the monastery stands on the hill of Tiên Lữ hamlet, historical texts also refer to it as Tiên Lữ Pagoda, while people across the capital and the Đoài region call it Trăm Gian Pagoda after the more than one hundred architectural bays spreading across the hilltop.
While the earliest foundation of the pagoda dates to the tenth year of the Trinh Phù era (1185) under Emperor Lý Cao Tông, the spiritual heart that has given Quảng Nghiêm Tự its enduring renown for seven centuries is a Trần-dynasty monk: Zen Master Nguyễn Bình An (courtesy name Nguyễn Lữ, Dharma title Đức Minh), revered by the communities of Tiên Lữ and Bối Khê as Saint Bối (Đức Thánh Bối).
According to the jade genealogy Đức Thánh Bối sự tích and spirit charters preserved at Trăm Gian Pagoda and Bối Khê Pagoda (in former Thanh Oai district), Saint Bối was born Nguyễn Bình An in the mid-thirteenth century during the Trần dynasty in Bối Khê hamlet, Thanh Oai district. His parents, Nguyễn Cư and Đỗ Thị Từ Nhân, were virtuous villagers who remained childless until praying at their local pagoda. Orphaned at the age of nine, the young Bình An awakened early to the impermanence of worldly life, took monastic vows at Đại Bi Pagoda in his native village, and traveled in search of enlightened masters.
Upon reaching Mount Tiên Lữ (also called Mount Mã Yên, or Saddle Hill) in Chương Mỹ, drawn by its pine-covered slopes and the site of a Lý-dynasty temple, he settled as abbot, expanded Quảng Nghiêm Tự, and attained spiritual mastery (remembered in local lore for summoning rain during droughts, healing the sick, and taming wild beasts). According to tradition, at the age of ninety-five, sensing his approaching passing, Zen Master Nguyễn Bình An entered a wooden meditation cabinet at Trăm Gian Pagoda and instructed his disciples and the villagers of Tiên Lữ and Bối Khê to keep its doors sealed for one hundred days. When the cabinet was opened, his body remained seated upright in meditation, emitting a pure fragrance. From that day forward, the two villages swore a sacred brotherhood (with Tiên Lữ as the elder brother and his native Bối Khê as the younger brother) and revered him as Bodhisattva Great King Saint Bối.
The figure of Saint Bối Nguyễn Bình An at Trăm Gian Pagoda exemplifies the synthesis of vernacular Zen Buddhism and deified monk veneration across the Red River delta during the Lý and Trần dynasties. Much like Zen Master Từ Đạo Hạnh at Thầy Pagoda, National Preceptor Nguyễn Minh Không at Keo Pagoda and Am Tiên Pagoda, or Masters Vũ Khắc Minh and Vũ Khắc Trường at Đậu Pagoda, Saint Bối was both an accomplished Zen master and a compassionate tutelary saint invoked by wet-rice farmers to bring rain and ward off calamity. Consequently, the sanctuary of Trăm Gian Pagoda follows the classic Vietnamese spatial layout of Buddha in front, Saint behind (Tiền Phật hậu Thánh): the Upper Hall honors the Buddhas of the Three Times, while the inner sanctuary and palanquin pavilions enshrine the sacred cabinet and statue of Saint Bối.
When reading about the statue of Saint Bối enshrined in the carved wooden cabinet at Trăm Gian Pagoda, visitors often encounter references both to a mummified body (nhục thân / tượng táng) and to a lacquered woven-rattan statue, wondering which account is accurate. Cross-checking historical charters with modern art-historical surveys, the library presents both layers clearly: according to the village jade genealogy and oral tradition, the original icon was the incorrupt body left by Zen Master Nguyễn Bình An after one hundred days in meditation and sealed in natural lacquer. Meanwhile, technical examinations by modern heritage and art scholars indicate that the statue currently enshrined in the processional cabinet is an exquisitely crafted effigy built over a lightweight woven-rattan and wood core covered with cloth, mulberry paper, natural lacquer, and gold leaf, allowing the saint's image to be carried in palanquin processions between Tiên Lữ and Bối Khê during major festivals.
IIOver eight hundred years from Emperor Lý Cao Tông (1185) to the Tây Sơn era and today
Founded in the twelfth century under the Lý dynasty and successively expanded under the Trần (13th - 14th centuries), Mạc and Restored Lê (16th - 18th centuries), and Tây Sơn (late 18th century) dynasties, Trăm Gian Pagoda stands as a living chronicle in timber, terracotta, and bronze southwest of Thăng Long.
Alongside the Trần-dynasty legacy of Saint Bối, a second major historical chapter at Trăm Gian Pagoda is tied to the renowned Tây Sơn commander Admiral Đặng Tiến Đông (1738 - ?). A native of nearby Lương Xá village (in former Lam Điền commune, Chương Mỹ), Đặng Tiến Đông commanded the vanguard column that liberated Đống Đa fort in the spring of the Kỷ Dậu year (1789). Once peace returned, in the second year of the Cảnh Thịnh era (1794), Admiral Đặng Tiến Đông and his daughter Đặng Thị Ngọc Dao served as chief patrons to restore Trăm Gian Pagoda, rebuild the two-story, eight-roofed Bell Tower, cast its great bronze bell, and commission the celebrated scholar-official Phạm Huy Ích (1750 - 1825) to compose the bell inscription Quảng Nghiêm tự chung minh. To this day, the pagoda preserves a gilded wooden relief plaque portraying Admiral Đặng Tiến Đông surrounded by his family.
In terms of national heritage protection, Trăm Gian Pagoda was ranked among Vietnam's very first National Historical and Cultural Heritage Sites under Decision No. 313-VH/QĐ on April 28, 1962. Following a 2012 incident in which the Patriarchal Hall and gong loft suffered structural damage during an unauthorized local repair, the Hanoi People's Committee and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism oversaw a comprehensive scientific restoration based on archival architectural drawings and traditional mortise-and-tenon joinery, restoring the ancient integrity of the complex. Administratively, under Resolution No. 1656/NQ-UBTVQH15 dated June 16, 2025, former Tiên Phương commune merged with Chúc Sơn town and neighboring communes of former Chương Mỹ district to form the new Chương Mỹ ward of Hanoi.
- 1185Founded in the 10th year of Trinh Phù under Emperor Lý Cao TôngThe original Buddhist temple was erected atop Mount Tiên Lữ in the Ất Tỵ year, the tenth year of the Trinh Phù era (1185), during the reign of Emperor Lý Cao Tông.
- 13th - 14th centuryZen Master Nguyễn Bình An (Saint Bối) presides over and expands the pagodaUnder the Trần dynasty, Zen Master Nguyễn Bình An of Bối Khê village practiced asceticism here, expanded Quảng Nghiêm Tự, left the Trần-dynasty terracotta lotus pedestal, and attained apotheosis.
- 1749Casting of the large bronze gong in the 10th year of Cảnh HưngUnder Emperor Lê Hiển Tông, monks and devotees cast a bronze gong measuring 1.4 m in length and 0.6 m in height, inscribed with Chinese verses recording the pagoda's restoration.
- 1794Admiral Đặng Tiến Đông restores the pagoda and casts the Cảnh Thịnh bellIn the Giáp Dần year, the second year of the Cảnh Thịnh era under the Tây Sơn dynasty, Admiral Đặng Tiến Đông and his family sponsored a major restoration, built the Bell Tower, and cast the great bronze bell inscribed by scholar Phạm Huy Ích.
- 19th centuryEmbellishments under the Nguyễn dynastySuccessive Nguyễn emperors from Gia Long and Minh Mạng to Tự Đức and Thành Thái granted royal charters to Saint Bối and renovated the side corridors, completing the 104-bay architectural complex.
- 1962Ranked among Vietnam's first National Heritage SitesOn April 28, 1962, the Ministry of Culture issued Decision No. 313-VH/QĐ ranking Trăm Gian Pagoda as a National Historical and Cultural Heritage Site.
- 2025Incorporated into the new Chương Mỹ ward of HanoiUnder Resolution No. 1656/NQ-UBTVQH15 dated June 16, 2025, former Tiên Phương commune merged with Chúc Sơn town and adjacent communes to form Chương Mỹ ward, Hanoi.
IIIThe 104-bay traditional timber plan, the 1794 Bell Tower, and the Trần lotus pedestal
The most intriguing architectural feature of Quảng Nghiêm Tự lies in its popular name, Trăm Gian Pagoda (Pagoda of a Hundred Bays). According to the traditional Vietnamese carpenter's rule applied here, every square module bounded by four standing timber pillars counts as one bay (gian). Counted by this measure, the entire architectural complex stepped up the slope of Mount Tiên Lữ comprises exactly 104 bays, organized into three interconnected clusters along an inner-Công, outer-Quốc layout ascending the hillside.
The first cluster on the lower slope comprises two Palanquin Pavilions (nhà Giá ngự, where the saint's palanquin rests during water puppet performances by the lotus pond) and the two-story, eight-roofed Bell Tower. The second cluster forms the central sanctuary in the shape of the character Công (工), linking the Front Hall (Tiền đường), inner Palanquin Hall, Incense Hall (Thiêu hương), and Upper Buddha Hall (Thượng điện). The third cluster encloses the flanks and rear with two long Side Corridors (housing the Eighteen Arhats and the Ten Kings of Hell), joining the Patriarchal Hall (Nhà Tổ) and Gong Loft at the uppermost terrace.
Sculptural treasures from the Trần dynasty to the Tây Sơn era
Sheltered within those 104 timber bays are more than 150 statues of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Arhats, and Saint Bối (in wood, cured clay, and lacquered rattan) alongside rare masterpieces of Vietnamese antiquity. Oldest of all is the Trần-dynasty red terracotta lotus pedestal occupying the center of the Upper Hall (often informally called a stone lotus pedestal in popular guides, though material analysis confirms it is a monumental red-terracotta altar assembled from finely carved fired-clay blocks dating to the 13th - 14th centuries). Rectangular in plan and standing nearly a meter high, the pedestal is carved in high relief with blooming lotus petals, mythical Garuda birds at the corners, carp transforming into dragons, and flowing floral scrolls.
Atop the Trần terracotta pedestal sit the statues of the Buddhas of the Three Times, Amitabha, and the Snow Mountain Ascetic Buddha. In the adjacent saint's sanctuary stands an openwork gilded wooden shrine housing the statue of Saint Bối Nguyễn Bình An seated in lotus posture with a serene, lifelike countenance. Nearby hangs the gilded wooden relief plaque of Admiral Đặng Tiến Đông seated on a dragon chair attended by his descendants, one of the rarest surviving Tây Sơn-era historical portrait carvings in northern Vietnam.
A two-tier, eight-roofed timber pavilion originally erected in 1693 and rebuilt in 1794, while its upper loft holds a bronze bell 1.1 m tall and 0.6 m in diameter cast in the 2nd year of Cảnh Thịnh under the patronage of Admiral Đặng Tiến Đông, bearing an inscription by Phạm Huy Ích.
A 13th - 14th century altar assembled from red terracotta blocks carved in relief with lotus petals, Garuda birds, sinuous dragons, and vine scrolls, representing one of the very few intact Trần-dynasty terracotta pedestals in Vietnam.
The revered effigy of the Trần-dynasty patriarch crafted over a woven-rattan core coated with cloth and natural lacquer, housed in an ornate wooden cabinet used in festival processions.
A gilded and lacquered wood carving depicting the Tây Sơn general Đặng Tiến Đông and his family who sponsored the 1794 restoration, possessing exceptional historical and artistic value.
A 1.4 m bronze gong cast in the 10th year of Cảnh Hưng under Emperor Lê Hiển Tông, together with stone dragon stairway balustrades in front of the Front Hall.
IVThe lie of the land and orientation
This section presents the library's own field reading through the lens of traditional form-school feng shui at Mount Tiên Lữ, rather than statements copied from the pagoda's stelae. We state this clearly so that readers can distinguish historical records from geomantic interpretation.
Viewed across the transitional terrain between the limestone outcrops of Chương Mỹ - Quốc Oai and the Red River delta plain at coordinates 20.95083°N, 105.66861°E, Trăm Gian Pagoda crowns the summit and upper slope of an isolated fifty-meter hill historically known as Mount Tiên Lữ or Mount Mã Yên (Saddle Hill). In traditional dragon-vein reading, the mountain dragon descending southward from the Sài Sơn (Thầy Pagoda) and Tử Trầm Sơn (Trầm Pagoda) ranges rises out of the flat rice fields as a rounded laterite-and-earth hill. Mount Tiên Lữ curves gently like a celestial saddle or a reclining dragon, its crown blanketed by centuries-old pine groves that retain moisture and nourish pure Wood qi throughout the year.
In terms of orientation and bright-hall structure, the 104 bays of Trăm Gian Pagoda rest their back against the pine-clad crest to the northeast and north as a solid rear backing (hậu chẩm), while the main axis faces Southwest (the Khôn palace) slightly toward the South. Directly at the foot of the stone stairway in front of the pagoda lies a broad lotus pond (Ao Sen, with a water-puppet pavilion at its center), forming a classic water-gathering inner bright hall (nội minh đường) in keeping with the principle of backed by mountain, facing water. Farther to the southwest and west, the winding courses of the Đáy River (Hát Giang) and Bùi River form the outer bright hall (ngoại minh đường), while the limestone peaks of the Trầm range rise in the distance as a natural front screen (tiền án). This harmony of whispering pines above and still lotus waters below explains why a Trần-dynasty master like Saint Bối chose this hill for his hermitage and final transformation.
VThe Trăm Gian Pagoda festival and the Tiên Lữ - Bối Khê sworn brotherhood
The Trăm Gian Pagoda festival is one of the earliest major spring festivals in the Đoài region and Hanoi, distinguished by a seven-hundred-year sworn brotherhood (kết chạ) between Tiên Lữ village (where Saint Bối practiced and attained sainthood) and Bối Khê village (his birthplace in Thanh Oai).
| Lunar date | Festival name | Key rituals and folk cultural activities |
|---|---|---|
| 4th to 6th day of the 1st lunar month | Grand Spring Festival of Trăm Gian Pagoda | Palanquin procession carrying Saint Bối down the hill to the Palanquin Pavilion, ceremonial reception of the delegation from younger-brother village Bối Khê, grand sacrifices, Buddhist prayers, and water puppetry on the lotus pond. |
| 12th day of the 1st lunar month | Fraternal procession to Bối Khê Pagoda | Elders and villagers of elder-brother village Tiên Lữ (Trăm Gian Pagoda) travel to Bối Khê Pagoda to join the main festival honoring Saint Bối in his ancestral home. |
| 4th lunar month (during droughts) | Traditional rain-prayer ceremony (Lễ cầu đảo) | Procession of Saint Bối's palanquin and recitation of sutras praying for rain across the farming communities of Chương Mỹ and Thanh Oai. |
| 15th day of the 4th month and 15th day of the 7th month | Buddha's Birthday (Vesak) and Vu Lan Festival | Major Mahayana Buddhist observances held in the Upper Hall and around the Bell Tower. |
On the main festival day, the fourth day of the first lunar month, as the palanquin of Saint Bối descends the two hundred stone steps from the Upper Hall to rest at the lakeside pavilion, traditional water puppeteers perform folk plays across the lotus pond in honor of the Saint and the gathered villagers, evoking the peaceful spirit of the Lý and Trần eras.
VILocation And How To Get There
- Address
- Thôn Tiên Lữ, phường Chương Mỹ (xã Tiên Phương cũ, huyện Chương Mỹ cũ), thành phố Hà Nội
- Getting there
- From central Hanoi, follow Nguyễn Trãi - Trần Phú Road (Hà Đông) onto National Highway 6 toward Hòa Bình for about 20 kilometers to Chương Mỹ ward (the former Chúc Sơn town and Tiên Phương commune area), then turn right following the signposts for about 2 kilometers to the pine hill of Trăm Gian Pagoda.
- Coordinates
- 20.95083, 105.66861
When visiting Trăm Gian Pagoda, you will climb stone steps beneath ancient pine trees and step across the high wooden thresholds of 104 interconnected bays. Visitors are asked to dress respectfully, speak quietly within the sanctuary, refrain from touching or leaning against the Trần-dynasty terracotta lotus pedestal in the Upper Hall or the Tây Sơn wooden relief plaque, and exercise extreme caution with incense and candles to protect the centuries-old timber structure.
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?Quick Questions
When was Trăm Gian Pagoda founded, and which Zen Master is revered there?
Trăm Gian Pagoda (formally Quảng Nghiêm Tự) was founded in the tenth year of the Trinh Phù era (1185) under Emperor Lý Cao Tông. During the Trần dynasty (13th - 14th centuries), the pagoda became closely tied to the ascetic practice, expansion work, and apotheosis of Zen Master Nguyễn Bình An (Dharma title Đức Minh, a native of Bối Khê village), who is venerated as Saint Bối (Đức Thánh Bối).
Why is it called Trăm Gian Pagoda, and how are its 104 bays counted?
The pagoda is called Trăm Gian (A Hundred Bays) because of its vast architectural layout spreading across the crest of Mount Tiên Lữ. According to traditional Vietnamese carpentry rules, every square module bounded by four corner timber pillars counts as one bay (gian), and by this measure, the Front Hall, Upper Hall, Palanquin Pavilions, Side Corridors, and Patriarchal Hall total 104 bays.
What role did Tây Sơn Admiral Đặng Tiến Đông play in the history of Trăm Gian Pagoda?
Admiral Đặng Tiến Đông (a native of Lương Xá, Chương Mỹ, who commanded the vanguard column in the 1789 Đống Đa victory) and his daughter served as chief patrons for a major restoration of Trăm Gian Pagoda in the second year of the Cảnh Thịnh era (1794), building the Bell Tower and casting its great bronze bell inscribed by scholar Phạm Huy Ích.
What is the date and material of the antique lotus pedestal in the Upper Hall?
At the center of the Upper Hall stands a lotus altar pedestal dating from the Trần dynasty (13th - 14th centuries). Although popularly referred to as a stone lotus pedestal, art-historical examinations confirm that it is a rare red-terracotta pedestal assembled from fired-clay blocks carved in relief with lotus petals, Garuda birds at the corners, and sinuous dragons.
Following the 2025 administrative reorganization, which ward of Hanoi does Trăm Gian Pagoda belong to?
Prior to July 2025, Trăm Gian Pagoda was located in Tiên Lữ hamlet, Tiên Phương commune, Chương Mỹ district, Hanoi. Under Resolution No. 1656/NQ-UBTVQH15 dated June 16, 2025 of the Standing Committee of the National Assembly, Tiên Phương commune merged with Chúc Sơn town and neighboring communes of former Chương Mỹ district to form Chương Mỹ ward of Hanoi.